Kukla's Korner Hockey

Free agency begins July 1, and Tampa Bay superstar Steven Stamkos, a restricted free agent, remains unsigned.
If anyone wants to bid on the 21-year-old high-scoring wunderkind, it’s probably a moot point because the Lightning retain the right to match any offer (similar to the Phil Kessel situation a couple of years ago).

But, boy, could someone drive up the price on owner Jeffrey Vinik if general manager Steve Yzerman doesn’t get a deal done in the next two weeks.

With the salary cap expected to be close to $63 million, a bidder could spike Stamkos’s pay as high as $12 million-plus per year (20 percent of the max is the limit). And for a kid who is only 21, a 10- or 12-year deal would not be out of the question.